Mukwonago Food Pantry325 Eagle Lake Ave., Mukwonago, WI(262) 363-3452Est. 1989Mission Statement:“To provide food and support to individuals and their families and to facilitate their development”

The Mukwonago Food Pantry provides an effort to maintain that all individuals and families should have adequate food for their needs and that no one in the communities they serve should be allowed to sacrifice nutrition regardless of their circumstances. They are a resource providing direct on-site programs that focus on helping recipients to overcome the obstacles that led them to seek help. Services and resources offered by other agencies that will aid our clients are offered on an as needed basis.

The Mukwonago Food Pantry started operating in June 1989. At that time, the government’s surplus food was given out on a quarterly basis. The government mandated that surplus food to be given out on a monthly basis through a food pantry with established weekly hours. There was no pantry fulfilling these qualifications in the Mukwonago area. Local persons would have to drive to Waukesha for their surplus food. Thus began the Mukwonago Food Pantry.

Name, title, company:

Cindy Eggleston, Executive Director, Mukwonago Food Pantry

How long as your organization been with the coalition?

-The organization has been with the coalition since the coalition first started in 1995 for about 20 years.

How does your organization fit in with the coalition’s mission: “Through collaboration, cooperation, and information sharing, the WCNC works to prevent hunger and food insecurity, provide information and education on nutrition issues, and promotes social policies that achieve food security while honoring the dignity of those we serve”

-The organization relates with the coalition in the sense that the ultimate goal is to include as many people and aim for fresh foods. The organization doesn’t want people to be depend on the food pantry, but instead, they want to try to help in other ways. The UW extension helped by providing master gardeners, preserving classes, providing health education. Also, without UW extension, there wouldn’t be a Mukwonago Pantry Resource Center. The organization started a project of remodeling the resource building, which consists of getting rid of all of the mulch that would require maintenance for growing space; this project is closely associated with UW extension. Both the organization and the coalition aim to feed beyond hunger even with little available money.

What is the greatest achievement you have had/seen within the coalition?

-The greatest achievement would be getting out into the community, as well as seeing individuals willing to come out and educate people; the coalition shares information with the food pantry. For instance, the commercial kitchen is a big project that the organization, with the help of the coalition, is working on and this is a great way to help individuals to learn how to utilize the little amount of foods that they have and turn it into a healthy recipe.

What is the greatest benefit of being a coalition member?

-The greatest benefit is that you have someone to rely on; the coalition is always willing to share information. With the coalition, you always have a resource and if they can’t directly help you, they will direct you to someone who can help.

Were there any projects that have been achieved or are currently being worked on regarding the coalition? (Brief description)

-The gardens and the master gardeners are currently being worked on; this project will allow there to be a commercial kitchen to be implemented, which will aid in processing foods and creating healthy meals with little resources.

Did any new partnerships form from networking?

-Several agencies, such as the Backpack Coalition, WIC, and ADRC all educate each other and bounce ideas off of each other to create a bigger impact on individuals. The coalition meetings greatly benefit and that’s a way to communicate with other agencies. These partnerships help you to grow and expand on your own ideas.

Civil Rights Statement: University of Wisconsin, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Wisconsin counties cooperating. An EEO/AA employer, University of Wisconsin-Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title VI, Title IX and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements.